VSS expands into Vegas

LAS VEGAS—Video Security Specialists, a distributor specializing in video products, opened its third location here last month, staffing it with three employees.

“Basically, the opportunity was there,” said Vic Korhonian, president of VSS. “We saw some weakness in the area, some competitors that are no longer there, and judging by the needs of the customers we felt it was a good move for expansion.”

While Las Vegas' construction market is seen to be particularly hard hit by the national recession, “there's a lot of video business [in Vegas] that needs to upgrade,” Korhonian said. “I'm looking to walk in with systems integrators, even in the casino market, and update systems. I think there's a lot of business there.”

VSS's signature camera brand is Arecont, and the company is also OnSSI certified. Korhonian said the company currently sells about 20 percent IP-based surveillance products, “and that's only in the last year. Last year we were 95 percent analog. We're getting more [customers] trained with the megapixel IP manufacturers and the software houses.”

The company's other two offices are in Burbank, Calif., where headquarters are based, and in Corona, Calif. However, Korhonian said he's not content with being a West Coast distributor. The next office may very well be “Midwest to East Coast,” he said. “I'd like to comfortably be able to ship to any dealer with UPS ground and have it be there within two days. I'd like to have a very national client base. We sell nationwide now, but we don't have quite the geographical coverage that we'd like.”